In honor of DMX artist Floyd Simmons painted a tribute mural in X's hometown of Yonkers.
The mural depicts X's likeness alongside several notable lyrics from "Look Thru My Eyes." The quotes center around School Street, the housing project where X grew up and made a track titled "School Street," which he dubs "the home of the brave."
Members of the housing project reached out to Simmons, in appreciation of his previous work in Harlem, and took over two weeks to complete
Officially complete, the art is a worthy tribute to X.
DMX's Exodus, landed at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Swizz Beatz hit on why it’s such a hit.
“The only tribute was the Moneybagg track,” Swizz detailed. “Everything else X was present and happy for. We had a conversation, and I told him, I said, yo, I know you don’t like a lot of features, but I think it’s time that people should see that other people love you as well and you’re respected by serious, serious artists. The next album, we can get back to how you want to do it, but let’s have some fun. Let’s give them something they can’t expect. They’re not expecting you and Bono. They’re not expecting you and Alicia. They’re not expecting you and Griselda. They’re not expecting you, Jay, and Nas on one track. You know what I’m saying? They never expected an Usher with ‘Letter To My Son, Call Your Father,’ You know?”
Exodus is a 13-track LP featuring JAY-Z, Nas, Swizz Beatz, Lil Wayne, Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg, and Bono!
“We did the whole album — the album was done — before he passed,” Swizz Beatz said. “It’s not an album that was pieced together after he passed. We had plans to do a two-month cleansing and workout [program] before we came with the album. He was gonna re-brand himself with new photos of him looking the best that he could look … But unfortunately we didn’t get to that part.”
Swizz, served as both executive producer and producer on Exodus, which he and DMX began to work on 10 months ago, shortly after he appeared in a Verzuz battle with Snoop.
“He was feeling all the fans’ love, and he was feeling all the support from his peers,” Swizz recalled. “He said, ‘Man, I love the love. I love the new younger generation showing me love. I just wish I had new songs for them to hear.’ And I said, ‘Well OK, let’s go!’
Since DMX passed away, The State of New York officially declared DMX’s birthday, December 18, Earl “DMX” Simmons Day.
Senate Resolution 631 was introduced on the NYS Senate floor by Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and sponsored by Senator Jamaal T. Bailey. Senator Bailey delivered his own eulogy.
“In New York we have our own Hip Hop royalty,” Bailey said. “He’s the Earl of Westchester County. He is DMX, he is one of the greatest Hip Hop artists that we will ever know. Phenomenal actor, phenomenal for the culture. Someone who gave us so much in the Hip Hop generation. As a kid whose been raised by Hip Hop. I am grateful not just for the accomplishments that DMX has given, but I’m more happy about the impact that Earl Simmons left on the world. May he rest in peace and may his memory be a blessing.”
Following the death of DMX, many revisited his discography. The surge of posthumous streams was enough to push DMX's "Ruff Ryders Anthem" into the 16th position, of the Billboard Hot 100, thus becoming the highest-charting single of his career. In addition "Party Up" hit the 40th position, and "X Gon Give It To Ya" hit #46, and the album on which they're all gathered The Best Of DMX locked in the #2 spot on the Billboard charts after moving seventy-eight thousand units.
Though X is not here to celebrate the achievement, it still feels right to see "Ruff Ryders Anthem" possibly hit the top spot on the charts. So, lets keep the momentum going. Let's get the anthem to number one.
Right now it's holding it down as the highest-charting song of DMX's career.
In X's career he released It's Dark and Hell Is Hot followed by four chart-topping albums “... And Then There Was X,” “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood,” “The Great Depression” and “Grand Champ.” He released seven albums in total and earned three Grammy nominations.
DMX also hit the big screen starring in the 1998 film “Belly” and “Romeo Must Die” and teamed up with Aaliyah for the film’s soundtrack song “Come Back in One Piece.”
He then, starred in “Exit Wounds” with Steven Seagal and reunited with Jet Li on “Cradle 2 the Grave”.
Most recently, DMX battled Snoop Dogg during Swizz Beatz and Timbaland's "Verzuz" which in turn got X back into the studio with Swizz to work on a new album.
At the height of Bling in the rap game DMX and Ruff Ryders changed the game and brought New York Hip Hop back to the streets. His raw sound and uneven cadence made his delivery unique and without equal. His voice and music is now and forever engrained in the culture and the industry as a whole is feeling the depths of his loss.
RIP DMX
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